4K telly advice

[madhair60]

Sorry Barry, wasn't sure if this counted as a "tech" thing?

I'm after a 4K telly. Doesn't really have to be amazing, just has to output 4K and be reasonably priced. Any recommendations on this blackest of Fridays?

[phantom_power]

Don't by a JVC one. We got an android one and it is shit. Keeps losing wifi, apps keep losing password info and it is slow as fuck. Trying to get it returned to Currys has been a fucking nightmare as well, but that's another thread

[Hat FM]

should be able to get a decent samsung one from richer sounds.

edit to say this is nice   - https://www.richersounds.com/samsung-ue43au8000.html

[thr0b]

You cannot go wrong with LG; stable, lovely, cheap. We have an earlier model of this one:-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-43UP75006LF-Freeview-Assistant-compatible/dp/B08X3QFMXG/

All the usual apps, plus AppleTV and Airplay built in.

I have a Philips Ambilight upstairs as well. Tremendous picture, Android TV means I can install Kodi directly on the telly (and have). But as others have said, Android TV is a bit unstable with wifi - I've seen similar complaints about Philips and Sony. And Philips support is abysmal.

(Strictly, Philips isn't Philips these days, it's a badge sold to a Chinese company in which Philips have a small interest.)

During the warranty, the Philips developed a habit of rebooting, or entering a boot loop at random. A software update briefly fixed it, but then JUST out of warranty (a handful of days), it started again. Before finally failing to boot entirely, just showing a colour cycle. Argos referred me to Philips (as out of warranty), Philips washed their hands of it until I could get a TV engineer to confirm the fault was theirs. As there are no TV engineers in the world, because it's not the 1980s anymore (though some exist, you need to send the telly to them, and pay for the service, which realistically would cost more than just giving in and buying a new telly), we gave in and bought the LG.

The Philips lived in the garage for a year until I found a spare mainboard for it on eBay for £40, and decided to chance it. The TV lives! Though I keep it on a firmware that hasn't been updated since 2018 to avoid the boot-loop issues, and the wifi remains a bit flakey.

Buy an LG.

[imitationleather]

should be able to get a decent samsung one from richer sounds.

edit to say this is nice  - https://www.richersounds.com/samsung-ue43au8000.html

That's the telly I've got. Had to buy it last month because my cat broke the old one. It's good and I like it (the telly, not the cunt cat). But I'm not a telly expert by any means.

[Johnboy]

I've got an LG too - would recommend

[phantom_power]

Has anyone got a decent Android TV? I wanted one for the adaptability and putting stuff like Kodi on it but my JVC one is so slow and lumpy. Is it just mine or are they all like that?

[phantom_power]

I like my LG one but it is not 4K as it is a few years old

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Not to derail things, but what is point 4K tellies? Unless you're getting some mega giant one and sitting a few inches away from it, the difference in resolution is invisible, isn't it?

If I were after a new telly, I'd look for one with really good contrast and colour levels first. 4K would be way down the list of considerations.

[MojoJojo]

How big and what's a reasonable price? Quick look on amazon and some people think 6 grand is a reasonable price.

[thr0b]

Has anyone got a decent Android TV? I wanted one for the adaptability and putting stuff like Kodi on it but my JVC one is so slow and lumpy. Is it just mine or are they all like that?

All depends on the implementation, I suppose. Some manufacturers will support it well, and adapt properly for the quirks of their own hardware. Some won't. Most don't seem to.

It's a shame, because as platforms go, it's ideal - I've got native and official apps for TV from the USA and Germany installed directly from the Play Store on mine. I've got official apps from my VPN provider installed. But I'm happy enough to tinker and put up with its quirks; I won't recommend it to people who just want the thing to work, instead of treating it like a computer.

[MojoJojo]

Not to derail things, but what is point 4K tellies? Unless you're getting some mega giant one and sitting a few inches away from it, the difference in resolution is invisible, isn't it?

If I were after a new telly, I'd look for one with really good contrast and colour levels first. 4K would be way down the list of considerations.

It is probably true HDR is a bigger deal than 4K, although I don't know if you get HDR on many non-4k tellies.

[thr0b]

Not to derail things, but what is point 4K tellies? Unless you're getting some mega giant one and sitting a few inches away from it, the difference in resolution is invisible, isn't it?

If I were after a new telly, I'd look for one with really good contrast and colour levels first. 4K would be way down the list of considerations.

You really can see the difference between a 720/1080/2160 picture. It's night and day. Perhaps not on anything less than 40", but as 2160p is fast becoming the "default" for a screen at 40" and above anyway, there's little point going with 1080p.

[phantom_power]

All depends on the implementation, I suppose. Some manufacturers will support it well, and adapt properly for the quirks of their own hardware. Some won't. Most don't seem to.

It's a shame, because as platforms go, it's ideal - I've got native and official apps for TV from the USA and Germany installed directly from the Play Store on mine. I've got official apps from my VPN provider installed. But I'm happy enough to tinker and put up with its quirks; I won't recommend it to people who just want the thing to work, instead of treating it like a computer.

I don't mind tinkering and having to set things up. It is when it takes ages to move around the menus and load apps that I get fed up. It is laggy as fuck, even when there isn't much installed on it

[madhair60]

Not to derail things, but what is point 4K tellies? Unless you're getting some mega giant one and sitting a few inches away from it, the difference in resolution is invisible, isn't it?

If I were after a new telly, I'd look for one with really good contrast and colour levels first. 4K would be way down the list of considerations.

No, sorry. I have a 4K monitor and the difference with it and TV gaming is night and day.

[greenman]

It is probably true HDR is a bigger deal than 4K, although I don't know if you get HDR on many non-4k tellies.

Some smaller screens I believe but yeah I suspect for most people the increased contrast/colour performance of HDR is going to be more obvious than the benefits of 4K. That is also much more of a "you get what you pay for" as well, HDR on a high quality OLED TV is going to stand out much more than on a cheap LCD 4K TV.

[kngen]

Not to derail things, but what is point 4K tellies? Unless you're getting some mega giant one and sitting a few inches away from it, the difference in resolution is invisible, isn't it?

Given that I was thinking, 'Hmmm, maybe I should get one too' after reading this thread, then - checking the model number of my current one - realising I've already got one, I'm going to say: 'Not much'. For the most part, it just seems to highlight the bad upscaling and low res of most cable and/or streaming services. I rarely watch a 4k thing on Netflix and think 'Fuck me, that looks amazing!' unless David Attenborough is providing the narration.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Hmm. I can't do a side by side comparison, but my friend has a 4K telly and, even with 4K video, it doesn't seem any sharper than my 42" HD one from across the room.

Then again, it has been nine years since I last went to the opticians.

[buzby]

LG are supposed to be releasing a 42" 4K OLED TV next year too (the smallest OLED panel currently is 48").

Given that I was thinking, 'Hmmm, maybe I should get one too' after reading this thread, then - checking the model number of my current one - realising I've already got one, I'm going to say: 'Not much'. For the most part, it just seems to highlight the bad upscaling and low res of most cable and/or streaming services. I rarely watch a 4k thing on Netflix and think 'Fuck me, that looks amazing!' unless David Attenborough is providing the narration.

That has been an issue ever since plasma screens went the way of the dodo, unfortunately.

[thr0b]

Given that I was thinking, 'Hmmm, maybe I should get one too' after reading this thread, then - checking the model number of my current one - realising I've already got one, I'm going to say: 'Not much'. For the most part, it just seems to highlight the bad upscaling and low res of most cable and/or streaming services. I rarely watch a 4k thing on Netflix and think 'Fuck me, that looks amazing!' unless David Attenborough is providing the narration.

To be fair, streaming 4K is rarely as good as fixed-4K.

I watched the latest Bond over the weekend via ("legitimate download or 4K blu-ray", Ed), and the picture quality was stunning. With streaming, the 2160p image isn't always at that level, you're forever fighting the network to keep the picture streaming without buffering, so the picture quality may drop.

[madhair60]

Nabbed the LG. Thank you. Really looking forward to gaming on the cunt.

[bgmnts]

Last week i bought a:

TCL - 43RP620K Roku 43" Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR LED TV

From curries on a payment plan (about £280 quid I think)

Unsure if I really notice a difference graphic wise on my xbox series S but hey it's bigger than my previous telly and it is helping me build up a better credit score.

[phantom_power]

After being fucked around by Currys for months on end with my shit JVC TV they finally came good and gave me a voucher for 50 quid more than I got the telly for. So I opted for the LG one mentioned above as my other one is an LG (not 4K) and it has been decent. Obviously Currys are still cunts so it is 20 quid more from there than Amazon but I am still up on the deal

[kngen]

To be fair, streaming 4K is rarely as good as fixed-4K.

I watched the latest Bond over the weekend via ("legitimate download or 4K blu-ray", Ed), and the picture quality was stunning. With streaming, the 2160p image isn't always at that level, you're forever fighting the network to keep the picture streaming without buffering, so the picture quality may drop.

Yeah, I should really get a UHD DVD player. Have been buying a few UHD DVDs for the PS5 that I'll probably never buy now.

[Dex Sawash]

Whatever you buy, they'll stop updating it and you'll end up jamming a firestick/roku/googlestick in there at some point anyway.

[Crenners]

Some factors to consider for anyone else thinking about a new telly:

OLED > proper HDR > screen size/viewing distance & 4K

As simple guidance, I would personally say 'save up for an OLED', even if it's another year or two. I'm still impressed and dazzled every time I turn it on.

For games, OLED makes any old toot look much better, no matter the graphics or art style. 4K res is excessive for most stuff but if you're playing some cutting edge marquee violatory crunch fest on PS5 or XSX, OLED + HDR + 4K is an incredible step up.

For films, source makes a big difference, of course. 4K discs are better quality and far more stable than any compressed stream. The sound quality is significantly better. HDR adds a hell of a lot to films, not just with contrast but colour range - even with something pretty low-key like Cinema Paradiso. Crank up Suspiria or Into The Spider-Verse in 4K HDR and it's dazzling. Unfortunately, most tellies don't do great HDR but any OLED will do.

Screen size and viewing distance are obviously very important. It's interesting to hear people say that they can't tell the difference with a 40" telly from across the room and therefore 4K is pointless. If that's how you're watching films or playing games, that's absolutely fine, but you're not really in a position to debunk anything - literally!

[seepage]

should be able to get a decent samsung one from richer sounds.

edit to say this is nice   - https://www.richersounds.com/samsung-ue43au8000.html

I got the Samsung 43" QLED Q60A to be able to pause live TV with a USB HDD, which I understood the AU8000 couldn't do. There's an AU9000 in between the two, aimed at gamers.
The Q60A is good but the viewing angle poor. Also has those silly little legs instead of a central stand. Samsungs also don't have YouView so you can't use the EPG for catch-up, you have to use each station's app instead.
Main TV is a 55" QLED Q80R from 2019 which is superb, with wide viewing angles.   

Sony supposedly superior for sound+vision, but last time I looked they didn't have any of the UK TV apps [iPlayer etc.], which wouldn't matter if you used a TV stick or PVR.